Cal Poly SLO isn’t the only college town with a CC nearby. You could do the CC → UC/CSU path by attending SBCC in the Santa Barbara area, attend a CC in the San Diego area, etc. So if you want some of the college experience while attending a CC and your concern is housing you have more choices than just Cuesta.
Not sure where you get these numbers from unless you’re not a CA resident. Davis lists CA resident cost as $35K, SLO says $26K